lower price vs higher price boxster

[BoxMann]

What Mike said.

[husker boxster]

Don't necessarily discount short time ownership. 2 seater sports cars are lifestyle vehicles. Something might change in their life - get married, get divorced, get laid off, retiring / downsizing, etc. Or they may have bought the snazzy sports car on a whim and then found out a 2 seater is too impractical for their situation or they don't need a weekend fun car. I have friend who owned a Boxster for less than a yr. In order for him to drive it to work, he had to drive his 2 kids in his pickup to school, go back home, then drive the Box to work. Then turn around and do the same after work. There was nothing wrong with his Boxster. Just be sure there's history that goes with it, esp oil change history (hopefully changed every 5-8K mi or annually). Someone with short ownership may be motivated to sell.

And Boxsters are relatively easy to work on. The basic maintenance jobs are all DIY capable. Join you local PCA club and become active. Find the people who do DEs - they'll be able to teach you some of the maintenance projects or answer questions.

[78F350]

My first Boxster was a 1999 for $5,000. It had lots of minor problems, but didn't need anything done to be a fun daily driver. Because of the relatively low entry cost (Most Boxsters were going for about $10K at the time), I was comfortable learning and doing my own work. For me it worked out well. I enjoyed and improved the car, then sold it and bought more. ...and more. Just be aware that these are all about 20 years old at this point and there is risk of failure in ANY 20 year old car

The right car for you depends a lot on you. The questions you've asked have been asked and received a broad range of answers; some contradictory, but still correct. Here's a few thoughts off the top of my head:

• 1999s are the best all around 986.
• If you don't buy an S model you will regret it.
• Replace the IMS bearing immediately if you have a 2001 or later.
• Don't worry about replacing the IMS bearing unless you worry about the IMS bearing.
• Buy the newest, lowest mile car that you can afford.
• Stay away from low mile cars, ones that have been driven and maintained will hold up better.
• Don't consider buying a 986 without having a PPI done by a Porsche specialist.
• Why pay $350 to have a $5,000 car inspected at a shop?
• A car with 100,000 miles should have the whole suspension replaced with new parts for $10,000 at a dealership.
• Yep, there's a little rattle when I go over bumps, but it drives fine.

I'll stop there, but it's all been written over and over.
For you I'll advise: Look at cars for $7k to $9K. Offer $6K to 8K. Do not buy one with major paint damage - Paint is expensive and it should hold up well on these cars unless it has been in an accident or been neglected. Buy one that has had frequent oil changes. Operate the top and the windows and the locks. Two keys are good. Just one key is a $500 discount on a higher priced car. If the money you are spending matters, have a PPI done. S model or base does not matter. ...unless it matters to You. Fun is fun.

Welcome to the forum.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by 78F350

My first Boxster was a 1999 for $5,000. It had lots of minor problems, but didn't need anything done to be a fun daily driver. Because of the relatively low entry cost (Most Boxsters were going for about $10K at the time), I was comfortable learning and doing my own work. For me it worked out well. I enjoyed and improved the car, then sold it and bought more. ...and more. Just be aware that these are all about 20 years old at this point and there is risk of failure in ANY 20 year old car

The right car for you depends a lot on you. The questions you've asked have been asked and received a broad range of answers; some contradictory, but still correct. Here's a few thoughts off the top of my head:

• 1999s are the best all around 986.
• If you don't buy an S model you will regret it.
• Replace the IMS bearing immediately if you have a 2001 or later.
• Don't worry about replacing the IMS bearing unless you worry about the IMS bearing.
• Buy the newest, lowest mile car that you can afford.
• Stay away from low mile cars, ones that have been driven and maintained will hold up better.
• Don't consider buying a 986 without having a PPI done by a Porsche specialist.
• Why pay $350 to have a $5,000 car inspected at a shop?
• A car with 100,000 miles should have the whole suspension replaced with new parts for $10,000 at a dealership.
• Yep, there's a little rattle when I go over bumps, but it drives fine.

I'll stop there, but it's all been written over and over.
For you I'll advise: Look at cars for $7k to $9K. Offer $6K to 8K. Do not buy one with major paint damage - Paint is expensive and it should hold up well on these cars unless it has been in an accident or been neglected. Buy one that has had frequent oil changes. Operate the top and the windows and the locks. Two keys are good. Just one key is a $500 discount on a higher priced car. If the money you are spending matters, have a PPI done. S model or base does not matter. ...unless it matters to You. Fun is fun.

Welcome to the forum.

That's the most contradictory advise I have ever read. Are you joking? It's hard to tell when we can't see your facial expressions.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by piper6909

That's the most contradictory advise I have ever read. Are you joking? ...

Yes and no...

Added for clarity: Everything in my bullet list comes from responses to similar "what car" threads posted here over the years. The variety of responses has much to do with the personality, capability, and experiences of the forum members who posted them. Which opposing statement is correct will all depend on the personality, capability, and experiences of the buyer. I don't think that ANY of those statements is wrong. I think that they are all true opinions of people who posted them trying to be helpful. The buyer needs to choose which ones are true to them. ...too deep?

Mike's Boxster pages and his advice have been one of my favorite resources over my years of ownership. My purchases and experiences are well outside the curve of 'normal', but I have seen quite a bit of good and bad in the dozen 986s I've bought. I have seen people do everything right and still end up with a $10,000 roller a few months later or buy a cheap, high mile car and put another 50k trouble free miles on it. The advice that I gave at the end of my post was legit.